


Control

by darkest_nights_will_end



Series: Hollingstwins [4]
Category: Degrassi, Degrassi the Next Generation, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Big Brother Miles, Gen, Hollingsiblings, Hunter Loses Control, Hunter needs help, Injury, Miles is in this one more than in previous fics, On Frankie, Set post #Sorrynotsorry, Twins, concussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 18:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7373161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkest_nights_will_end/pseuds/darkest_nights_will_end
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunter's had a difficult time controlling his anger. When Frankie has some suggestions about what to do, he lashes out on her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Control

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! So this was my first request, the prompt being "Hunter loses control." I didn't intend for this to be as long as it is, but once I started, I couldn't stop. Like Hunter, I lost control.
> 
> I tried really hard to make Hunter look not like 'the bad guy,' but like the troubled soul he is. I must confess, I haven't yet seen every episode pre-New Class, so I'm using the Wiki and Youtube clips to get a lot of info. 
> 
> Also, I know Miles has been featured in the last few fics, so I think the next couple will have Miles out of focus. 
> 
> This story contains very brief violence, and then about 4,000 words of angsting over said violence. (Just a warning to anyone who may be sensitive)
> 
> I am taking requests!  
> Thank you to everybody who has read any of the works in this series so far,

 

Frankie was sick of nobody taking charge.

 

The lives of the Hollingsworth children had shifted dramatically ever since the incident at the Snowball and she didn’t like it. Hunter, for the most part, locked himself in his room, staying away from his siblings. When they did see him, the air was awkward as everybody avoided talking about the inevitable.

 

It was undeniable that Hunter needed professional help. Frankie had thought that Miles would use his power as older brother to make sure that happened, but so far, he hadn’t done anything except be overly nice to their troubled brother on the rare occasion he was seen outside of his room.

 

Frustrated that her twin was in pain, Frankie decided to take matters into her own hands. One night, after she was sure everybody was asleep so as not to be interrupted, she pulled out her laptop and began researching. She started by googling Hunter’s symptoms, finding results that fit him to a T.

 

_Oppositional Defiant Disorder_

 

Reading the medical term that appeared on the page more than once made Frankie’s heart hurt. It had been hard enough watching Miles struggle through _his_ ordeal, but watching it happen to her twin, the person who had been with her all of her life, felt worse. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed this sooner.

 

Frankie knew she wasn’t a medical professional, and didn’t want to diagnose her brother herself, but she had a pretty clear idea of what was going on. Part of her hoped Google was lying, but the more realistic part knew that Hunter probably suffered from ODD. She read through the web page, being able to relate almost everything to her brother.

 

_If left untreated, ODD may result in…_

 

She could have sworn her heart stopped when she saw the final word on the list.

 

_Suicide_

 

Frankie quickly exited out of the page, not wanting to read any more. But it got her thinking. Hunter had been spending a lot of time isolated. With no technology. What if he was harming himself? She felt sick to her stomach at the prospect, but it motivated her to find more information. She opened up a new tab and typed in what she felt was the next step in her quest.

 

_Psychiatric Centers near Toronto, Ontario._

 

She was pleased to find multiple results, and read through every single one, searching for only the best for her brother. She found one center she really liked, and printed out all the information before going through and highlighting important passages and making small notes. Once she was finished, she put everything into a binder so it was organized for Hunter. She shut her laptop in satisfaction, and placed the binder next to her bed so it would be ready to present to her brother in the morning.

 

* * *

 

 

Frankie woke up the most excited she’d been in weeks, but also the most nervous. She really hoped Hunter was receptive to the ideas she was going to present him. She quickly got changed out of her pyjamas and into clothes before grabbing her binder and practically racing to her twin’s room. She knocked on the door eagerly, and was met with a much less enthusiastic response.

 

“Go away!” He called out through the door. But Frankie would not take no for an answer.

 

“Hunter! It’s me, I want to talk to you,” her voice was bright and cheery. She could practically feel Hunter rolling his eyes through the door.

 

“Fine. But make it quick,” she burst through the door and found her sibling sitting in his chair, looking at her expectantly. Her mood shifted a bit to the nervous side once she entered. Hunter’s room was still wrecked, and it held a dark aura. But nonetheless, Frankie forged ahead.

 

“So, I did some research last night, and I found some results that might explain your… well, behavior recently. I don’t know anything for certain, but I think something really serious is going on. It’s called ODD, and I printed out some info on it,” she opened the binder and showed him a section of text she’d highlighted. “It’s not your fault, it’s a mental disorder-” he cut her off.

 

“Why are you doing this?” His tone was a harsh one that she’d never heard from him before. She was a bit taken aback.

 

“I care about you, Hunter. I don’t want you to suffer anymore!” She said, almost confused. Wasn’t it obvious?

 

“You don’t know anything about me. Just because we’re twins? That doesn’t mean a thing to me,” he began to raise his voice, but Frankie stood her ground. She was hurt by his words, but this wasn’t about her.

 

“Hunter, please just listen. I know change can be frightening but I really think going to a psychiatric center would do wonders for you. I found a really great one not far from here, we could visit you all the time, and-” he once again refused to let her finish.

 

“I _don’t_ need to go to a psych ward. I am _fine,_ why can’t you see that? People get angry, Frankie, it happens. You think I’m a sociopath too, I bet. Just like my so called friends. I thought I had my family, but it’s clear you don’t care about me at all,” she tried to reason with him, but his temper increased with every passing second. He took the binder out of her hands and began to rip out pages.

 

“No, Hunter, I don’t think that at all, I love you, I just want what’s best for you!”

 

“No you don’t. You just want me out of the picture so you don’t have to tell your friends about your ‘weird twin brother who brought a gun to school,’” by this point, he was almost yelling. Frankie had tears rolling down her eyes but Hunter didn’t care. “Don’t act like you’re any better than me. We’ve been through the same stuff, we are a broken family. You are _broken_ , Frankie, and you don’t want to admit it, so you’re pretending everything is fine with you and that I’m the crazy one. I’m _not_ crazy!” Frankie backed away and tried to reason with her brother again, even through her tears.

“I want you to be okay! You’re hurting now, but if you go to this center, they can help you, you’ll feel so much better! This center is one of the best in the country, you’ll be in good hands!”

 

Hunter had heard enough and in a fit of anger, threw the binder at Frankie, successfully hitting her in the head. The impact threw off her balance, causing her to hit her head against the wall before falling to the floor in pain. Hunter immediately regretted his actions, and stepped towards her, the anger replaced by concern.

 

“Frankie? Frankie, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

 

“Please don’t hurt me,” her words rung in the air, with one being unspoken.

 

_Again_

 

The room was silent, save for Frankie quiet sobs that pierced Hunter’s ears. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, honest. He just got caught up in the moment.

 

“What the hell is going on in here? I heard yelling and-” Miles stumbled in, clearly awaken from his slumber. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the scene laying in front of him. His little brother staring wide eyed at their sister, who was crying and holding her head on the floor. Miles kneeled down next to her. “Frankie? Why are you crying? What happened?” He looked at her before directing his attention to Hunter, waiting for one of them to give him an answer.

 

“It was nothing. Um, Hunter and I just got into a little argument,” Frankie said. Despite the fact he had just gotten violent with her, Frankie still didn’t want to give Hunter up, but Miles didn’t believe her for a second.

 

“Frankie, I need you to answer honestly, even if you don’t want to, okay?” She nodded. “Did Hunter hurt you?”

 

She stared straight at Hunter, eyes still wide. She was trying not to be afraid of him, but it was hard. His eyes were red and watery, but they held none of the anger that had been present just a few minutes before. She felt strange. Dizzy. _What was the question?_ She was about to answer Miles, but Hunter spoke up first.

 

“I threw the binder at her,” his voice was quiet. Miles looked at him and sighed. It put him in a difficult position. He knew Hunter was unstable, but it didn’t change the fact that he had caused harm to another person, and his sibling at that.

 

Miles extended his hand to help said sibling up, and when the pair stood, Miles put his arms around her, in an attempt to not only comfort, but to protect as well. She leaned against him. He focused his attention back on Hunter.

 

“Why would you throw a binder at her?”

 

“She was telling me I need to ‘seek help,’ and she did all this research and practically shoved in my face that I’m crazy!” He pleaded with Miles.

 

“So you hurt your _twin sister_ because she cares about you?” Hunter fell silent again. When he finally came up with something to say, he turned to Frankie, taking a step closer to her.

 

“Frankie, I’m sorry, I really am, I just- you were pointing out what was wrong with me and-” Miles pulled her back as a precaution.

 

“Listen, I think it’s best if we go. I’m going to check out her head, see if there’s any damage. But this isn’t over. I’ll be back, okay? We _are_ going to talk about it,” Hunter nodded numbly as Miles led her out of the room, asking her how she was feeling, to which she replied _‘tired.’_

 

Hunter closed the door and sank to the floor, sitting in the same position his sister had been in only moments ago.

 

It was only then that he allowed tears of his own to fall.

 

* * *

 

 

Miles led Frankie to his room, instructing her to sit on the edge of his bed. He crouched down so he was at her level.

 

“Frankie, what happened with Hunter?” Frankie furrowed her brows, trying to remember.

 

“We had an altercation. I don’t think he liked the idea of getting help for his anger.”

 

“Do you remember any details?” Miles asked. This was looking worse by the second, and Miles feared they’d be taking a trip to Urgent Care.

 

“I don’t know. He threw my binder at me and yelled a lot,” she shrugged. “Hey, Miles? Do you mind if I take a nap here? I’m really tired and I don’t think I can make it to my room,” Frankie’s eyes were fighting to stay open.

 

Miles was trying not to panic for the sake of his sister. Their mom was away for the weekend, leaving Miles in charge. Miles kept his voice level as he spoke.

 

“Frankie, I’m sorry, but you can’t take a nap. You need to stay awake, okay? We’re going to go for a ride to the Urgent Care Center. They’re going to check out your head and see if you have a concussion.”

 

“Okay. What about Hunter?” Miles was confused, chalking it up to her being out of it.

 

“Hunter? What about him?”

 

“We can’t leave him here alone.”

 

_‘Shit,’_ Miles thought. _‘She’s right.’_

 

“I guess we’ll have to take him with us,” he sighed. “I need to get dressed, and then we’ll go,” because he had been woken up by the encounter, he was still in a tank top and boxers. He quickly grabbed a button down and pants, running into the bathroom and changing in record time. When he returned, he saw Frankie lying on the bed, eyes closed. He very gently tapped her arm.

 

“Frankie, you can’t fall asleep. Come on, we’re going now,” instead of getting up, she held her hands out to him, silently begging him to carry her, something he hadn’t done in years. Despite the circumstances, he smiled fondly before obliging to her request.

 

* * *

 

 

Hunter was freely crying within minutes. He thought that hurting Yael was the worst feeling he could have, but he learned the hard way how wrong he was. On top of that, the encounter reminded him scarily of the time his dad had thrown a mug at Miles, which almost hit Hunter. The big difference being, his father missed. He had not.

 

He eyed the binder that was still sitting on the floor and grabbed it. He had ripped out some pages, but most of them remained in tact. He skimmed through the research his sister had done.

 

Maybe she had a point…

 

“Hunter?” Miles knocked on the door. Hunter wiped the tears from his eyes and opened the door. He was a bit taken aback when he saw his brother carrying Frankie, but he didn’t comment on it.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You need to come with us to Urgent Care. You aren’t staying here alone,” Hunter knew he was in no position to argue, since the whole thing was his fault in the first place. He followed his brother, binder still tucked securely under his arm.

 

When they got to Miles’s car, Hunter opened the door to the back, allowing Miles to set Frankie down gently. When he was sure she was secure, he turned to Hunter.

 

“Listen, I know things are weird right now, but I need you to do something really important,”  Hunter nodded, waiting for further instructions. “I need you to sit back here with her and make sure she stays awake, so I can focus on driving safely.”

 

“How do I do that?” Hunter was still a bit scared to be near her, but if it would help her, he’d give it his all. Maybe it would help prove how sorry he was to them.

 

“Ask her questions. Keep her engaged in conversation. Just don’t let her fall asleep.”

 

“Okay,” he said, getting into the back with her. Frankie lied her head in Hunter’s lap.

 

Once Miles was satisfied, he took his place in the driver’s seat, starting the engine and beginning their journey.

 

Hunter wasn’t sure what questions to ask her, but he figured he’d start with the basics.

 

“Um, what’s your name?” He felt stupid asking, obviously he knew her name, but he supposed it was better than her falling asleep.

 

“Francesca Hollingsworth, but everybody calls me Frankie.”

 

“What’s my name?”

 

“Hunter Hollingsworth.”

 

“What is our relationship?”

 

“We’re twins!”

 

“Yeah, we are,” he smiled sadly. “Do we have any other siblings?”

 

“Miles.”

 

“What school do you go to?”

 

“Degrassi.”

 

“When’s your birthday?” She giggled a bit at this.

 

“Hunter, we have the same birthday. You should know the answer to _at least_ this question,” he couldn’t help it, he laughed too.

 

“Hey, I know the answer. Do you?”

 

“July 21,” Hunter was pleased to see she was a bit more awake now.

 

“Alright alright, you know your facts. Now tell me, how are Shay and Lola?” He changed the topic, and Frankie’s smile widened as she went on and on about the latest drama with them.

 

Miles looked at them through the rear view mirror and smiled. He was glad to see Hunter feeling at least somewhat better. While he hated that somebody had to get hurt, perhaps Frankie’s injury would be the push Hunter needed in admitting there was a problem.

 

* * *

 

 

The wait at Urgent Care was surprisingly short, and within minutes, Frankie was seated in a medical room while the doctor asked her a lot of questions, many of them similar to the ones Hunter had asked. Miles and Hunter sat in the guest chairs on the side of the room, out of the way from the doctor. Both brothers were watching the examination like a hawk. Towards the end, he asked a question all three siblings knew was coming, but didn’t want to answer.

 

“Can you tell me how you hit your head?” Hunter’s eyes widened in fear. They had to tell the truth, but what if they separated him from his family, from _her?_

 

“Her and her brother got into an argument that escalated a bit quickly,” Miles answered. It wasn’t _exactly_ a lie, and the doctor didn’t question any further, assuming it was just sibling rivalry.

 

“It appears that she just has a mild concussion. She’ll be okay, and she should be back to normal within a week or two. Just make sure she gets plenty of rest and takes it easy for a while. We’d like to see her back in two weeks to make sure she’s clear,” Miles listened to all the information and made a follow up. He gave the receptionist the Hollingsworth’s billing information, and the three siblings left for home.

 

* * *

 

 

 

When they arrived home, Frankie announced that she was going to take a much needed nap, and retired to her room to do so. Hunter was about to follow suit, but was stopped by his older brother.

 

“Hunter,” he called to him. Hunter saw him looking at him expectantly. He knew what was coming.

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbled. He’d already been through enough today, hadn’t he?

 

“Yeah, well that’s too bad. Sit down,” he spoke firmly, and Hunter listened, sitting on the living room couch next to him. Miles turned to face his little brother. “Hunter, I’m not mad at you. I’m mad that Frankie’s hurt, but I’m not mad _at you_. But I do want to know your perspective on the incident.”

 

“I don’t know. It happened so fast. She came in and had this binder and went off about how she found a psych ward for me and how I needed help, and I got scared, I guess? She talked about a mental disorder, and it got to be too much. Before I knew it, I was accusing her of not caring about me, and the anger built up until I threw it at her,” Miles listened to him and prodded him to tell more.

 

“How did you feel after you threw it?”

 

“I felt awful. I knew as soon as it left my hand that it was wrong. Seeing her hurt sucks, but knowing _I_ was the cause is even worse. And then I thought about Dad. She was _afraid of_ _me_. Just like we were of Dad. He threw that mug in anger, just like I threw the binder. Miles, I _don’t_ want to be like Dad.”

 

“Well, you’re the only person who can make sure that doesn’t happen,” Miles paused before continuing. “Do you remember what I was like, not too long ago?” Hunter nodded. “You don’t want that to happen to you, I promise. It was awful. I was reckless, I destroyed relationships with people who genuinely cared about me. Friendships, romances, even my relationship with you and Frankie was strained for a long time. You know that intervention you two, Tris, and Chewy held for me?”

 

“The one where you freaked out at Frankie and Tristan? Yeah, I remember.”

 

“I didn’t want to believe I had a problem, and I lashed out at people in anger. People who wanted to help me. Sound familiar?”

 

“But I don’t need help! I don’t need to spend time anywhere else!” Hunter’s voice was raised, but not threatening.

 

“Then why do you still have that binder?” Miles asked him. Hunter opened his mouth to answer, but couldn’t come up with a reason. “Listen, Hunter, for what it’s worth, I think you’d be a lot happier in the long run if you gave this place a try. It looks like Frankie’s done her research”

 

“What if you guys forget about me? Or decide you’re better off without me?”

 

“Hunter, we would never forget about you. We’re family. We aren’t going to just abandon you when times get hard,” there was a short silence before he continued. “You know, sometimes one of the bravest things one can do is seek help,”

 

Hunter looked down at the binder and back at Miles.

 

“Do you think she’s mad at me?”

 

“I’m sure she’s not thrilled, but she won’t hold it against you. She adores you. Plus, now _we_ get to wait on her hand and foot, which I’m _sure_ she won’t complain about,” Hunter smiled a bit at that. He was right.

 

“Thanks, Miles,” he said. His brother replied by pulling him into a hug.

 

“I’m going to go check on our darling sister,” he motioned to the binder. “Really think about what she had to say. She wouldn’t have put so much effort into it if she didn’t care.”

 

Miles exited the room. Hunter waited a few minutes before doing the same, heading to his room so he could read her notes without interruption.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Frankie heard a knock on her door.

 

“Come in,” she said, groggily. The door opened and Hunter walked in, carrying a tray with various breakfast foods on it.

 

“Good morning. I made you breakfast. I wasn’t sure what you’d want so I brought a bit of everything. Did I wake you? I can come back later if you want to keep sleeping,” he rambled, obviously nervous.

 

“No, you’re okay. My sleeping schedule is messed up anyway. Here, come sit,” she sat up, allowing room for Hunter. He placed the tray in between them. Once they were situated, Hunter began apologizing.

 

“Frankie, I’m sorry. I know sorry doesn’t fix your head, but I am. Hurting you is the last thing I ever want to do,” he spoke truthfully.

 

“I forgive you, Hunter. I’m sorry too. I know ambushing you in the morning probably wasn’t the best idea,” she smiled.

 

“Don’t apologize. You have _nothing_ to be sorry for. I’m the one who got physical.”

 

“Please don’t beat yourself up over it. It happened, we can’t change that. Besides, I don’t hold it against you,” Hunter sighed, working up the courage to tell his sister his primary reason for visiting.

 

“I don’t want anything like this to happen again. I don’t want anybody to suffer at my hands, especially the people I care most about,” he began. “You left those notes in my room yesterday. And I looked them over. You clearly put a lot of thought into it. I’m sorry I said you didn’t care about me. I was just saying things to make you upset.”

 

“Hunter, I know you didn’t mean any of it. I get it.”

 

“I really didn’t. But I talked to Miles. He told me about how he felt when he was at his worst. I don’t want that to happen to me. So after a lot of thought, I’ve decided that checking out that center...might not be the worst idea,” Frankie’s eyes widened and she excitedly pulled Hunter in for a quick hug.

 

“Really? You’ll consider it?” He smiled seeing Frankie so excited for him.

 

“When Mom gets home, I’m going to tell her everything. I want to get better.”

 

“I’m so happy for you. I really think this is a good idea.”

 

“Yeah, I hope so. Thanks for being the push I needed to see the light. Now come on, your breakfast is going to get cold,” he said. She looked at the large tray of food and picked up a piece of toast, holding it out to him.

 

“Well, I certainly can’t finish this by myself. Care to join me?”

 

Hunter took the toast and smiled.

 


End file.
